Where is the light? #EricGarner #ICantBreathe #Nowisthetime

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Eric Garner died as a result of a choke hold used by a NYPD officer attempting to subdue him. The first video shows it here. Mr. Garner pleads for his life. “I can’t breathe,” he cries out (weakly) to the police officers. The second video (here) shows police officers and EMT handling an apparently unconscious Mr. Garner like an animal. Or a slab of meat.

How did the Grand Jury not indict the police officer?

We should and must mourn the loss of Eric Garner lest we accept that our hearts have grown cold. We should and must grieve over the injustice served by the non-indictment of Daniel Pantaleo.

In the midst of an overwhelming number of police officers, Daniel Pantaleo’s actions in subduing Mr. Garner (in the manner in which he did) were arrogant, contemptuous and, yes, evil – beyond even the possibility of a racially motivated crime. If you watch the second video where Mr. Garner appears unconscious, hand-cuffed and mishandled, Pantaleo appears in the background – proud, puffed up and “manly” in how he holds himself.

Pantaleo did not act as a man on that day. He acted as a coward. He did as a bully does. And we can all see this with our own eyes. Any other conclusion is in itself, cowardice, false consciousness, or, yes, evil. Regardless of prejudice.

Daniel Pantaleo, however, is not beyond redemption or our compassion. He can confess his sin and repent, publicly. And, in return, we can forgive and love the man.

Cases of police brutality, state oppression, terrorism, and all kinds of violence may be worse and more frequent elsewhere in the world. That does not make the wrongful death of Eric Garner, acceptable. Lukewarm reaction is absolutely reprehensible and disgusting. It is written that God vomits the lukewarm.

In the face of overwhelming lack of compassion and concern for the dignity of the human person, outrage and anger will burn in the hearts of those who still have hearts to mourn what has happened. Evil shall also grow in burning hearts. There will grow a want of revenge, a spirit of fear and contempt for others. This too is human – fallen humanity.

Now is the time for justice. For leadership. For love.

Ye are the light of the world.Matthew 5:14

Where is the Christian voice in the midst of the darkness? Where is the light of Christian love in dark nights as these?

Light does not shine in the streets. Now is the time for Christians to go forth, cast out demons, heal the broken-hearted, and demonstrate the power of Jesus. In prayer. In compassion and with love. In sharing Christian wisdom and truth. In solidarity with the human family. With a crying out to God!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day. And other social media DOHs.

by Stan Faryna

From a practical point of view, the holiday is a federal holiday which means government employees get the day off. It is not a celebration, however, in which all Americans participate equally. Neither in body, spirit, nor enthusiasm. Not like Thanksgiving. There are no common rituals. There is even a failure – gasp – among the A-, B-, C-list bloggers to hungerly contemplate the relevance of Freedom and Justice – the things that Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke so passionately about.

Economics

Like it or not – there is an economics to friendship. I know! I know it may seem to you that I have just said a heartless, stupid and terrible thing! Bill Dorman is going to have some fun with this. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you have true feelings about anything?

I am waiting. I am ever waiting to bring the world to the perfection that is longed for in hope, joy, and possibility.

Do you feel the same as I do?

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Enigma, Return to Innocence

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I await for greater forces (men, women or otherwise) of greater prudence, courage, self-control, justice and faith. I await their direction, their demonstrations, and crowd-roaring triumphs over impossibilities, danger, and humiliation.

I am waiting to do amazing things – more amazing than I can begin to understand or imagine. Because within me are beautiful, true, and good things. They move with such precision, certainty, and counterpoint. Like the heavens. Like celestial perfection. Like a clockwork of stars and galaxies.

I am not alone

I am not alone in these anticipations and aspirations.

And you are not alone in yours.

There is untested strength, courage, and beauty in our common will. So much unrevealed awesome in our common destiny.

Wait for no one

We need begin for the hour is late. We have lost ourselves in useless distractions. We have uselessly agonized over our unfulfillment.

We do not need more things. You. Me. We need less emptiness in our hearts. We need less dishonesty. With ourselves. With others.

We need to sanctify ourselves in love. Because we are nothing – if we, ourselves, are not love. Because love is, has always been, and will always be – what we are. Wait for no one!

Do I deceive myself when I allow myself to feel my deep hunger for love? Do you?

Has not love been everything for me- when I allowed myself to feel truly the things that I feel? You?

And yet, nothing I could do would purchase it and my happiness. With one single exception- love.

Consequences

Do you feel the same?

Or, maybe, my words fail to sue for peace against the armed gates of your heart. Maybe, the walls of your heart are proud and tall like the walls of Troy.

I am of no consequence to you. I do not pretend to have wisdom for you. But who are you?

You, yourself, are of consequence to you. This is indisputable. And your emptiness longs to be filled with joy. With you. With love.

Just as my emptiness must be filled with love.

And, quite possibly, we shall find joy together. In love. With love. Through love. In the unity of our common will and destiny to be ourselves truly and completely.

Together, we can be the change that we want to see in our world.

If you can do one thing just for you today… allow yourself to feel everything as you watch this short, uplifting video:

Mr. Faryna is the founder and co-founder of several technology, design and communication companies in the United States and Europe including Faryna & Associates, Inc., Halo Interactive, and others.

Stan Faryna served as a Global Voices author and translator. Global Voices is a non-profit global citizens’ media project founded at Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, a research think-tank focused on the Internet’s impact on society.

Mr. Faryna also served as editor-in-chief of Black and Right (Praeger Press, 1996), a landmark collection of socio-political essays by important American thinkers including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Copyright

Copyright 1996 to 2012 by Stan Faryna.

Here’s my fair use policy for my content: If you want to share my content with your own audience, you may quote a brief excerpt, if and only if, you provide proper attribution (Source: The unofficial blog of Stan Faryna) with a direct link to the source. Generally speaking, as long as you are not acting as an agent or on behalf of a corporation or institution, I am not interested in any payment for the quotation or use of a complete article. Nevertheless, you may not republish or translate the entire article without my written permission. Send your request for permission via Facebook. Or tweet me up me on Twitter.

Sucking in Syria

Syrian protesters are dying. Everyday, it seems. Maybe, eight were killed yesterday. Four, the day before. More Syrians will die, tomorrow. Through links on Twitter, I’m getting to see some videos of the dead and dying. There’s blood. Tears. Crying. There’s the crack of AK47s.

The protesters are demanding Freedom. Change. Opportunity. Reform. They want to make a better world.

Syrians are not just dying. They are being murdered. The killing is intentional.

Protesters are being murdered by soldiers or police who have been ordered to do so by their government. They might not look like you or me. They may not even speak the same language. But, unless, you are hopelessly all wrapped up in you, you know that other people are losing the people that they love and care about. In an instant.

In a gruesome, grim, split-second instant, love seems to be cancelled.

What we all want is a better world. A better life. Isn’t that what we really believe Democracy and Freedom is all about?!

Such democracy is not something we can purchase at a store – online or offline. It’s not a one time, one click purchase. No government can deliver on that. For each of us, it is a life-long commitment to demanding it from each other -demanding the things that matter most. And not just demanding those things – but also giving them. Read the rest of this entry »